Plant Productions

Effect of girdling time on flowering properties of olive trees in the Ahvaz climate

Yahya Mansouri; Shohreh Zivdar; Esmaeil Khaleghi

Volume 47, Issue 4 , January 2025, , Pages 647-661

https://doi.org/10.22055/ppd.2024.47834.2197

Abstract

IntroductionOlive trees are among the most important fruit crops globally, with particular importance in both the Iranian and international fruit production industries. During the past ... Read More IntroductionOlive trees are among the most important fruit crops globally, with particular importance in both the Iranian and international fruit production industries. During the past decades, in Khuzestan province, like in several other regions, many olive orchards were established without considering the selection of suitable cultivars. As a result, these trees face various issues related to flower production, such as insufficient flowering, poor fruit set, and a decrease in oil content. Several methods can address these challenges, with girdling be one of the most effective. Girdling, a method of bark pruning, encourages early flowering and fruiting, thereby enhancing the tree's productivity. This research aimed to investigate the effects of girdling at different times on the flowering and biochemical characteristics of three olive cultivars (Conservalia, Roghani, and Mission), which are known for poor flower production.Materials and MethodsThis experiment was conducted at the olive research orchard of the Faculty of Agriculture at Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, using 20-year-old olive trees during the 2022-2023 growing season. The study investigated the effects of girdling on the quantitative and qualitative aspects of flower production as well as certain biochemical indicators. The experiment followed a split-plot design within a randomized complete block design, with four replications. The main plots included three olive cultivars (Conservalia, Roghani, and Mission), and the sub-plots consisted of four girdling treatments: control (no girdling), and girdling conducted in January, February and March.Results and DiscussionThe results revealed that girdling at all times increased the number of flowers per inflorescence compared to the control treatment. The highest number of flower in the inflorescence was observed with January girdling (18.17), which was more than double the control (9.1). The Roghani cultivar produced the highest average flower count per inflorescence (14.87). January girdling also resulted in the highest percentage of complete flowers (49.92%), with the Mission cultivar showing the highest percentage of complete flowers (45.31%). The relative water content in leaves was highest with January girdling (84.49%), significantly surpassing the control, February and March treatments. The Mission cultivar had the highest relative water content at 72.33%. Girdling significantly increased the fresh leaf weight in ringed branches, with the effect was diminishing from January to March. Roghani exhibited the highest leaf dry weight (14.94 g), which was not significantly different from Mission's leaf dry weight (13.69 g), but was significantly higher than Conservalia's dry weight. The highest leaf dry weight was recorded with January girdling (17 g), which was significantly higher than the other treatments. In terms of total soluble carbohydrates, the highest amount was observed in the Roghani cultivar in June (22.23 mg/g). Girdling increased total soluble carbohydrate content, although this effect diminished from January to March. Overall, girdling improved flowering traits, with increased numbers of flowers, fresh and dry flower weight, and a better flowering initiation. Roghani and Mission cultivars exhibited superior results in terms of flowering characteristics, carbohydrates, leaf water content, and leaf dry weight.ConclusionThe immediate effect of girdling is the restriction of sap flow from the leaves to the roots, leading to the accumulation of sugars and plant hormones in the upper part of the tree. These accumulated materials are then transferred to the growing buds and inflorescences, promoting their development. . In this experiment, girdling was shown to improve flowering characteristics, with January being the most effective time for girdling across the olive cultivars tested. Therefore, January girdling is recommended for improving flowering and productivity in olive trees in the Ahvaz region.

The Effect of Calcium Nanochelate on Morphological, Physiological, Biochemical Characteristics and Vase Life of Three Cultivars of Gerbera under Hydroponic System

soraya moallaye mazraei; Mehrangiz Chehrazi; Esmaeil Khaleghi

Volume 43, Issue 1 , June 2020, , Pages 53-66

https://doi.org/10.22055/ppd.2019.25085.1574

Abstract

Abstract Background and Objectives Gerbera (Gerbera jamesonii L.) is one of the most important cut flowers in the world, and its production is increasing. One of the major problems ... Read More Abstract Background and Objectives Gerbera (Gerbera jamesonii L.) is one of the most important cut flowers in the world, and its production is increasing. One of the major problems in cultivating gerbera is its bent neck and short vase life. With the ever-increasing development of flowering industry and the necessity of improving the quantity and quality of flowers, it is necessary to use the beneficial elements in the production of flowers. Calcium is one of the most important nutrient elements that plays a major role in plants. It has a crucial task in the stability of cell wall and cell membrane as well as the development of cells. The balance between cations and anions, the activation of certain enzymes and the regulation of osmotic pressure are among other functions of this element. Calcium, also, plays a role in root development and prevents injuries caused by mechanical and thermal damages such as wind. Nanochelate technology has been able to significantly solve chelate problems. The present study was conducted to investigate the effects of various concentrations of calcium nanochelate on quantitative and qualitative characteristics and vase life of Gerbera. Materials and Methods In this study, three concentrations of calcium nano-chelate (0, 2 and 3 g/l) on three cultivars of gerbera cut flower (Intense, Amlet and Cabana) were examined. Factorial experiment was conducted in a randomized complete blocks design with three replications. In this experiment, morphological, physiological, biochemical parameters and postharvest life of these cultivars were evaluated. The related characteristics of the flower included the dry weight of the scape, the number of inflorescences per plant, the height of the flowering stem, the diameter of the scape and the diameter of the inflorescence. The percentage of electrolyte leakage or membrane stability index, chlorophyll and carotenoids content, calcium content of the plant, vase life and water absorption were investigated. Results The results showed that morphological traits improved with increasing the concentration of calcium nano-chelate. Also, chlorophyll and stomatal conduction increased, but ion leakage decreased. Increasing the concentration of calcium nano-chelate increased the vase-life and water absorption in gerbera flower. The highest number of inflorescence, scape diameter, scape dry weight, inflorescence dry weight and vase life were obtained with 3 g / L of calcium nano-chelate. Discussion In this research, we found that gerbera treatment by calcium nano-chelate was significantly effective. Among the treatments, the concentration of 3 g/l was recognized as the best treatment by increasing the vase life and improving the growth, physiological and biochemical characteristics of gerbera cut flower.

Effect of Salicylic Acid on Some Morphological and Biochemical Characteristics of Olive (Olea europaea cv. ‘Konservalia’) Under Water Stress

Narges Shafiei; Esmaeil Khaleghi; Noorollah Moallemi

Volume 42, Issue 1 , April 2019, , Pages 15-30

https://doi.org/10.22055/ppd.2019.22031.1477

Abstract

Abstract Background and Objectives Olive (Olea europaea) is one of the most important fruit trees in the pomology industry of Iran. Statistics shows that this fruit tree is cultivated ... Read More Abstract Background and Objectives Olive (Olea europaea) is one of the most important fruit trees in the pomology industry of Iran. Statistics shows that this fruit tree is cultivated in more than of 102 thousand hectares of territory of Iran. Due to severe water shortages, it is necessary to make use of methods with objectives to reducing the negative effects of drought on plant and to increasing water use efficiency. Previous studies stated that plant growth regulators such as salicylic acid could apply to reducing the adverse effects of environmental stresses. Salicylic acid (SA) influences various physiological and biochemical functions in plants and has diverse effects on the tolerance to biotic and abiotic stress. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of exogenous SA application on biochemical traits of ‘Konservalia' olive leaf under 100 %, 66 % and 33 % ETcrop by analyzing chlorophyll content, total soluble carbohydrate and proline. Materials and Methods The study was conducted in order to investigate the effect of different levels of water deficit (100, 66 and 33 percent of evapotranspiration (ETcrop)) and four concentrations of salicylic acid (0, 0.5, 1 and 2 mM) on fresh and dry root weight, stem and leaf and leaf number, leaf area, stem diameter, leaf proline, total soluble sugars, chlorophyll content as a factorial experiment based on a randomized complete block design with three replications. Two- year old olive trees (Olea europaea cv. ‘Konservalia’) were used. Seventy- plants were grown in 11 L pots, containing a mixture of field soil (73.2 % sand, 13.3 % silt and 13.5 % clay) and manure. Plants were sprayed with four concentrations of salicylic acid and irrigated every ten days, according to the amount of evatranspiration of plants (ETcrop). Parameters such as leaf proline and total soluble carbohydrates content, chlorophyll content were measured three times at intervals of once every 30 days after treatment. Data analysis was performed using MSTATC and SAS software and mean comparison was done by Duncan's multiple range test at 5 and 1 % probability Results The results showed that leaf proline and total soluble carbohydrates increased while chlorophyll content (chlorophyll a, b and total) decreased with increasing levels of water deficit. Results also showed that the interaction of salicylic acid and irrigation had a significant effect on fresh and dry root weight, stem and leaf, leaf area and plant height at p Discussion In this study, the role of SA in plant tolerance to abiotic stresses such as heat, heavy metal, and osmotic stress was reported. The results showed that 2 mM SA application alleviated the adverse effects of drought stress (66 and 33 % ETcrop) in young olive trees through the improvement of chlorophyll content, enhancing leaf total soluble carbohydrate and proline content which can lead to osmotic adjustment.

Studying the effect of kaolin on fluorescence and chlorophyll content in leaves of olive plants (Olea europaea L. cv Dezful) under water deficit sress

E. Khaleghi; K. Arzani; N. Moallemi; M. Barzegar

Volume 37, Issue 2 , September 2014, , Pages 127-139

Abstract

With respect to arid and semi-arid climate of Iran, using methods which mitigate detrimental effects of water deficit on horticultural products would be of significant importance. Kaolin ... Read More With respect to arid and semi-arid climate of Iran, using methods which mitigate detrimental effects of water deficit on horticultural products would be of significant importance. Kaolin is an anti-transpiration material the application of which has been expanded during the recent years. For this purpose, the effect of three different levels of kaolin (0, 3 and 6%) as well as three different levels of irrigation (100, 65 and 40% potential ETcrop) on chlorophyll content and chlorophyll fluorescence in olive leaves “Dezful’ were examined as factorial test based on a completely randomized design in three replications (each replication including 3 pots) in the greenhouse of Horticulture Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Tarbiat Modares University (Tehran, Iran). The obtained results demonstrated that chlorophyll a and total chlorophyll were reduced under water deficit. The amount of reducing of chlorophyll a and total chlorophyll in 80 days after treatment was greater than that in 40 days after treatment. In addition, the amount of total chlorophyll in the sprayed plants with 6% kaolin was the highest (1.425 mg/g fresh weigh of leaf) in 80 days after treatment. Furthermore, it was shown that by reducing of water content to 65 and 40% ETcrop the content of chlorophyll “a” was greater than the plants which were sprayed at kaolin concentrations of 3 and 6% in comparison with the control. Meanwhile, the results of fluorescence parameters showed that maximum fluorescence indices (Fm), fluorescence variable (Fv) and ratio of fluorescence variable to maximum fluorescence (Fv/Fm) were reduced under drought stress. However, the kaolin treatment had no significant effect on these indices. Generally, it can be expected that spraying of the olive gardens in Iran with kaolin, especially in regions exposed to water deficit can moderate the drought stress and mitigate the detrimental effects of water deficit, while improving photosynthesis efficiency of the leaf.

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Author = E. Khaleghi

Effect of girdling time on flowering properties of olive trees in the Ahvaz climate

Abstract

The Effect of Calcium Nanochelate on Morphological, Physiological, Biochemical Characteristics and Vase Life of Three Cultivars of Gerbera under Hydroponic System

Abstract

Effect of Salicylic Acid on Some Morphological and Biochemical Characteristics of Olive (Olea europaea cv. ‘Konservalia’) Under Water Stress

Abstract

Studying the effect of kaolin on fluorescence and chlorophyll content in leaves of olive plants (Olea europaea L. cv Dezful) under water deficit sress

Abstract